Warner (USA)
2.40:1 1080p
120 minutes
Audio: DD+ 5.1 English, DD+ 5.1 French, DD+ 5.1 Spanish
Subtitles: Optional English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Extras: audio commentary by Tony Gilroy and editor John Gilroy; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary by the Gilroys
Released: 11 March 2008
HD DVD case
27 chapters
Tony Gilroy had a fantastic year in 2007 with Michael Clayton and The Bourne Ultimatum. Clayton was his first time in the director’s chair after nearly two decades of paying his dues as a writer, and he was nominated by the Director’s Guild of America as one of 2007’s best directors. He co-wrote yet another chapter in the outstanding Bourne series, which continues to raise the bar for action films. Clayton received seven Oscar nominations (Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Score), and Bourne received three Oscar nominations (Editing, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing).
On the surface, Michael Clayton’s subject matter isn’t particularly noteworthy. Clayton (George Clooney) is a NYC lawyer who handles the clean-up jobs for his huge law firm. When his colleague Arthur Eden (Tom Wilkinson) suffers from a shocking mental breakdown in Milwaukee during a deposition (Eden strips naked and runs out into the snow-covered parking lot), Clayton goes to Wisconsin to contain the damage. He discovers that Eden has had a crisis of conscience; instead of merely representing the interests of U/North (an agrichemical company), Eden has been building a case against U/North. U/North’s products have killed hundreds of farmers. When it appears that Eden will bring about U/North’s downfall, U/North’s in-house lawyer Karen Crowder (Tilda Swinton) looks for ways to contain Eden and Clayton.
As I wrote, the story seems little different from many other conspiracy thrillers. However, Gilroy’s execution is superb. The movie begins near the end of its journey, with Clayton getting out of his car to admire some horses grazing in a field. Suddenly, his car blows up, and the movie jumps back in time by four days. We already know that Clayton’s car is going to blow up again as the movie catches up to its opening scenes, but the filmmaking is so assured and skillful that, as we watch Clayton’s life being threatened again, the tension is as genuine as the tension generated by a linear-narrative structure.
Although Michael Clayton is singularly focused on its eponymous character’s perspective, the cast is uniformly excellent. Clooney and Wilkinson have several touching and desperate scenes that reveal characters with deep affection and high hopes for one another. Clooney and Swinton have only two face-to-face scenes, but their final confrontation brings a slow-boil film to a burn. The smaller roles have been filled with equally effective actors. In this day and age, Sydney Pollack seems to be a much better performer than he is a director. The men who play Clayton’s brothers are very memorable even though they don’t get much screen time.
Every so often, someone will write an article about great opening shots/sequences. Michael Clayton goes the other way with a great final shot. The movie ends with Clayton leaving a building and getting into a taxi. He requests the driver to drive anywhere for fifty dollars’ worth of a journey. The camera simply gazes upon Clooney’s face for about a minute as he decompresses and digests the ramifications of his actions. Wordlessly, the movie sums up its points in Clooney’s facial expressions and gives viewers time to reflect on what they’ve seen (as opposed to walking out as soon as the credits start).
On Oscar Night (24 February), Tilda Swinton won Best Supporting Actress for Michael Clayton, and The Bourne Ultimatum won all three of its categories.
Video:
As with other recent big-studio fare, Michael Clayton arrives on DVD with a clean video master. The 2.40:1 1080p image leans towards blues and grays, and the filmmakers opted for a cold, damp feel. I didn’t notice any compression artifacts. This is one of those sharp, high-quality transfers that one can usually expect from Warner, but the material doesn’t lend itself to “wowing” viewers.
Audio:
As with the visual scheme, the DD+ 5.1 English track is generally muted and dialogue-driven. There are some decent ambient and directional effects during scenes with heavy NYC auto and pedestrian traffic, but much of the movie features intimate groups of three or four people talking about their predicaments. The similarly low-key score is nicely dispersed throughout the room, and the subwoofer packs tight bass when Clayton’s car explodes.
You can also watch the movie with DD+ 5.1 French and DD+ 5.1 Spanish dubs. Optional English, English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles support the audio.
Extras:
Michael Clayton was a modest box-office performer, which may explain why Warner opted for a modest selection of supplements. However, I’m relieved that this disc isn’t crammed with obnoxious back-slapping commercials masquerading as “making of” documentaries.
Upon loading, the DVD unloads several previews for other movies.
Tony Gilroy and editor John Gilroy contributed an informative, easy-listening audio commentary. The brothers clearly relished this family project (much in the same way that Michael Clayton solicits help from his family), and it’s rather poignant listening to them talk about supporting each other while Tony tried to persuade studios to let him helm his own script. (The audio commentary is subtitled in English, so you can “read” the commentary, too.)
You also get about six minutes of deleted scenes. The most-interesting of these involves actress Jennifer Ehle, who played Michael Clayton’s girlfriend and was completely cut out of the final product. However, you’ll notice that several shots during this scene were used--just without any reference to Clayton having a social life. The deleted scenes are accompanied by optional audio commentaries by the Gilroys. (Once again, the audio commentary has its own subtitles.)
--Miscellaneous--
The SD DVD side of this combo disc has the same reduced technical specs as the widescreen SD DVD (2.40:1 anamorphic widescreen video; DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 surround English, DD 5.1 French, DD 5.1 Spanish audio; English, English SDH, French, & Spanish subtitles) and the same extras plus previews for other movies.
This HD DVD version streets on 11 March 2008. The high-def editions sport the same technical specs and also have the same extras.
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